Natural Remedy for Smelly Shoes and Feet
I am the mother of a teen-aged athlete.
I know foot odor.
And, while I would love to hide from this fact, I experience foot odor myself. I’m not a fan of socks. If going to work barefoot was socially acceptable, I’d be just fine. But it’s not and so most of the time I wear shoes without socks or hosiery to get as close to barefoot as possible. I often slip my shoes off under my desk, usually without even realizing that I’ve done it!
Until the smell alerts me.
I can wear a new pair of shoes without socks or hosiery about five times before foot odor makes it impossible for me to remove my shoes without first providing a gas mask to anyone in the vicinity. It’s bad, folks. I’ve tried foot sprays, foot powders and inserts, but nothing effectively combats my terrible foot odor.
Until now . . .
Recently, I began using essential oils and read that lavender can help to soften rough skin. I put some on my feet at night to relax and can definitely tell the difference it makes as a skin softener.
One morning I decided to rub lavender oil on to my feet before work because I felt a little stressed. When I absentmindedly slipped off my shoes at work, the lovely smell of lavender wafted up from under my desk instead of the usual . . . well . . . foot smell that would normally have me shoving my feet back into my shoes quickly.
The best part is that the smell lasted all day. By mid-afternoon, my feet smelled just as great as they had when I first applied the lavender oil that morning.
Since then, I have tried several different Young Living essential oil blends on my feet and have found a few favorites.
The blends that last all day and send delicious mood-boosting or relaxing blasts of fragrance from my feet to my nose are Highest Potential, Valor and Stress-Away. Of course, Lavender is still my favorite.
For my athlete son, I use Valor and Highest Potential–whichever he prefers at the time, before practices and games to support his performance and to keep his shoes from smelling badly.
To apply this natural remedy for smelly feet and shoes, simply put a drop or two on each foot and rub over the soles. A roll-on (made easy with Young Living fitments) makes it even easier to apply essentials oils for this purpose.
You can purchase these wonderful essential oil blends here.